Miaowkat's Blog

3 types of strength (Broken bone illustration)

August 18, 2014

We have 3 types of spiritual strength to indicate 3 stages of our spiritual life

Spirit life = relationship with God

1) We have no strength (broken bone)

It’s like a broken bone or snapped tendon
totally unable to control/move any body part after the break
no matter how hard you will or try, you just can’t
because it is disconnected.
all of us were born disconnected from God
no matter how hard we try to be good, we just cannot.
all of us when we were born with sin.
we will always end up doing something bad, misbehave or not following instructions.
thank God he can fix us:

2) We have new strength

Jesus is like the doctor who put the broken parts back together
our relationship with God is now connected, but the re-connection is weak on its own
need something to isolate the part so it can heal and not be put at risk of damage again, needs to be plastered.
Jesus puts on a cast so the broken parts can heal properly.
He gives us the Holy Spirit to wrap around our joint so that it will be protected during the healing
the cast is also a security and helps us to be confident that we won’t accidentally knock the injured part.
The cast like the Holy Spirit also gives us the ability to function our body part like normal, how it should be.
After saved, but still unable to be fully independent without the cast. This new strength from the Holy Spirit helps the injury to start repair but also gives a chance for the injured arm or leg to start being used again.
Can start to use fingers to hold, toes to balance.
When disconnected we cannot do any good on our own. Now we have help to be good.
Paul says when I am weak, He makes me strong.
Cast stays on our entire earthly life.
Taking the cast apart early before it’s time is like removing the Holy Spirit from our earthly life.
We expose ourselves to further injury.
The cast is meant to be on until the body part is fully healed (meaning until we leave this earthly life). – The Holy Spirit is like our helper here on Earth, but once we leave the Earth, we don’t need the Holy Spirit’s work of being a “cast” but now we are in full communion and union with Jesus the doctor.

3) We have little strength

After some time, we develop our life with the cast on, we learn how to go about our daily life with it.
We carry it wherever we go and start to return to our usual activities.
We now have more strength at the injured limb.
But you will at some point come across circumstances that you know will be a challenge because of the injury that you now realize that you have little strength.
When you see a need, when you sense a call, when you carry a burden for a certain person, you realise you cannot do it all by yourself, you realise you have little strength
Therefore you need wisdom, you need a double portion of anointing.
Despite your injury and the cast you carry, you summon whatever strength you can, and the Holy Spirit’s work then takes over and does whatever it does best.

( Incidentally Ps David’s sermon talks about this the next day, Eg. Young David vs Goliath, 17 Aug 2014. Could “borrow” some points from there. )

Tags: christianity, father, kingdom of God, life, spiritual life, strength
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My response guide to scandals within the Christian community

February 28, 2014

It has been a week (21 Feb 2014) since the announcement of Pastor David Yonggi Cho’s guilty verdict.

I first read the news through a Korean news portal. (http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_national/625270.html‎). Thousands of comments have since been posted on various sites carrying or reporting on this news. Most of them are harsh and sarcastic.

An article from the Gospel Herald states that two pastors who are close to Pastor David Yonggi Cho have given statements on “the other side of the story”. (http://www.gospelherald.com/articles/50503/20140226/american-pastor-disclose-details-surrounding-dr-david-yonggi-chos-indictment.htm). More comments on this article have been posted, the majority in the same tone of condemnation.

While the authors of most of these comments are unknown to me, I know a handful of them personally because of the Facebook profiles that are linked to their comments. These are from Christians, believers, pastors, whom I personally know… and these are appalling responses from the Christian community.

My post today is not to say whether the accused is right or wrong, or what “things should have been”. I would like to address the issue of how believers respond in the light of such news, especially on the Internet.

Some Points:

Let non-believers say what they want to say. In all my dealings with non-believers who are out to draw blood, it’s best to not try to explain or defend; it causes more harm and confusion. Unless they are asking genuine questions, we respond accordingly, otherwise, refrain and let the Holy Spirit give wisdom on responding.
Refrain from highlighting. Refrain from posting on Facebook, from retweeting, from linking to your blog in a hope to “starting a Christian conversation”. It is ironic that believers post these up on their Facebook walls and then end the conversation by saying, “yeah, this is not the place to discuss church matters”, and then continue to leave the post there, when they started the conversation in the first place. If for whatever reason you must post it, please disable the comments.
Any believer can fall, whether the “big fry” or the “small”. God is no respecter of status or wealth, and I should add, neither is the devil. So who’s next on Satan’s list? If you’re implying some “mega-church” pastor, think again, it could very well be the questioner themselves.
Issues which involve the court and the law; remember that many courts around the world are not interested in the truth. I think many will agree with me on this. Many legal systems are only interested with justice being served. Prosecutors and police just want somebody charge. As the worldwide audience, don’t expect to learn the truth from court proceedings.
I will probably draw some a lot of flak for saying this, ah but I’ve disabled comments as advised above… Genius! Don’t expect to learn the truth from the media as well. It is naive to think that the media is interested in the truth too. The “other side of the story” or the “minority opinion” may not be true either. Fairness and transparency are mere mantras. Many media editors will skew stories, many reporters will highlight their opinion only. “Having an angle” is something we learn in Journalism 101. It is a gift and skill which landed them their jobs in the first place.
Respect the law of the land. It’s interesting that Christian Malaysians affirm the Korean court in sentencing judgement on a preacher, but argue till the cows come home about not being able to use the word “Allah” in Christian publications. Every country has their legal structure, whether it may be old or outdated. What may be permissible in one country may not be in another. Yes, we should stand up for what is right, but when we go through the legal route and let the law of the land take its toll, don’t complain when you realise that the law is not there to glorify God (see point 4).
It is interesting that Christians will “reduce” a mega-preacher to a sinner and yet not give them the benefit of “Jesus died for the mega-preacher-sinner” as well. Rightfully we are all ordinary mortal sinners. His grace extended to us is also extended to them. When we sin, we are entitled to Christ’s grace, forgiveness, healing and restoration, with God and with our fellow brothers and sister. And you know what? So are they who are “mega”. Let us give them the space to heal and restore.

All Members Suffer

In a video recording of Yoido Full Gospel Church’s service on 23 Feb 2014 (2 days after the verdict), Pastor Cho is seen clapping and worshipping but with a solemn look.

One of the songs the congregation sings is the hymn, “The Old Rugged Cross” (in Korean).

During his sermon, at around 1:12:00, he talks about the last two years (of going through the court trial and accusation), being the greatest trial of his ministry.

“I know you have been praying for me and thanks to your prayers I will become a better pastor“.

“Through this suffering, I’ve learned a lesson, which is to not own anything. If God calls me back today, I will be able to go to the Kingdom of God.“

He delivers his sermon like every other Sunday from 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, entitled “The Three Ways to Overcome Suffering”.

The sermon can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qS1r44JzTg

I say all this to point out that worship, praise, preaching and fellowship, all continue on as usual in Yoido Full Gospel Church. A ministry or church that was based after a single individual, will not be in this position when their leader has failed. The congregation have found strength to continue worshipping despite of the circumstance.

It is clear that the congregation of Yoido Full Gospel Church is standing by him and suffering along with Pastor Cho through this difficult period. For Christians around the world, especially those who do not wish to identify with denominations but claim to be part of the “Body/Church of Jesus Christ”, I think this is how we should respond when we see a brother or sister go through a trial.

“And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.” – 1 Corinthians 12:26.

Tags: christianity, community, scandal
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God Our Provider, God Our Security

February 7, 2014

I watched an interesting video about cats this week…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEepVLQjDt8

The BBC reports on how cats are emotional linked to their owners and conclude that cats do not love their owners in the same way dogs do.

In a study by Prof. Daniel Mills, he uses a past technique that was used to observe toddlers’ behaviours with and without their parents. The observation showed that babies look for their mothers when a stranger enters their presence. They automatically cling harder to the parent when a stranger offers to carry them.

Cats on the other hand don’t really care. If a stranger enters, to them it’s just another human compared with their owner. So they don’t really look to their owner as a source of security, but only as a provider.

I asked a few people who kept cats as pets if this was true and they agreed. I tend to concur too because my neighbours cat is always found wandering our compound, day or night, exploring everywhere around the other homes but will only return home for food.

The Prodigal Son

This has led me to reflect upon the story of the prodigal son, it is the perfect illustration of what it means to look to our Father God as a Provider and as our Security.

In the parable Jesus shared, the prodigal son is content with all the providence of his father and squanders all of it. The older son however has the security and the providence of the father. That’s why at the end of the story the father says to him “And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours“. (Luke 15:31 NKJV)

Two things the father highlights to the son : 1) you are always with me (security) and 2) all that I have is yours (providence).

Thoughts: What does this security actually mean?

Psalms 125 talks about “Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which can never be shaken, never be moved. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people, now and forever.”

What does it mean can never be shaken or moved?

What are we secure from or secured against?

Security refers to the state of your Salvation (2 Sam 23:5, referring to David)

“If my house were not right with God, surely he would not have made with me an everlasting covenant, arranged and secured in every part; surely he would not bring to fruition my salvation and grant me my every desire.”

God Our Master

I am also led to think, of God as our master, just like a pet has a master. The master owns the pet, rules over the pet, provides food and security to the pet. I know some people may not readily identify with this analogy that we are like animals to God because of its implications, but the Bible does say that God is our Master.

And if God if He is our master, it is imperative that we take note of the response that we should give to Him

Malachi 1:6 (NKJV)

“A son honors his father,

And a servant his master.

If then I am the Father,

Where is My honor?

And if I am a Master,

Where is My reverence?

Says the Lord of hosts

To you priests who despise My name.

Yet you say, ‘In what way have we despised Your name?’

If God is our Father, where is our honour due to Him? A Father who protects and secures. If God is our master, where is our reverence for Him? A Master who provides. Where is that sense of seeing God not just as your provider but as your security as well?

I think honour and reverence are quickly becoming a forgotten virtue in many communities that it soon becomes prevalent in our worship to God, in our conversations with each other about God and in our lifestyles before God.

Conclusion

As God is Father to us, let us remember to abide in Him as He says to us, “Son, you are always with me and all that I have is yours”.

As God is Master to us, let us remember to revere Him lest He asks of us, “Where is My reverence?“

Tags: father, master
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What-lah

January 13, 2014

I don’t have time to go into the background of this issue. As everyone knows, the “Allah” issue in Malaysia has just caused much misunderstanding and mistrust. If you don’t know, just google it. Many difference incidences have led up to what we see today, many differing and opposing views have been expressed, and all I can say is, what more do you expect when two cousin-religions collide over ownership?

I also don’t have the time to neatly put this into a structured article so I will just give these points as they come:

1) it is not a time to be defensive against people groups

For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:12 NLT)

2) it is not a time to choose a side between Christian or Muslim

Instead choose God’s side. The reason I say this is because both sides of the divide are unfortunately laden with political influences and agendas.

3) It is not a time to be surprised

As for the case in Malaysia, we shouldn’t be surprised at this occurrence; since we have been praying for revival, don’t be surprised that it is preceded by persecution. I think the pattern is there, before big revival, big persecution. Because when we claim ground, devil will also try to claim ground.

4) Don’t focus prayer on justice or revenge

Rather pray for wisdom and opportunity.

“Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves. But beware! For you will be handed over to the courts and will be flogged with whips in the synagogues. You will stand trial before governors and kings because you are my followers. But this will be your opportunity to tell the rulers and other unbelievers about me. When you are arrested, don’t worry about how to respond or what to say. God will give you the right words at the right time. For it is not you who will be speaking—it will be the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine. If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it. “Anyone who receives you receives me, and anyone who receives me receives the Father who sent me. If you receive a prophet as one who speaks for God, you will be given the same reward as a prophet. And if you receive righteous people because of their righteousness, you will be given a reward like theirs. And if you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded.” (Matthew 10:16-20, 38-42 NLT)

5) Remember that in trying to defend A WORD, it is not defending THE WORD of God.

I have another whole explanation on why Allah is not a word worth fighting over because there are many more beautiful names of God in the Malay language that should be used (I will take some time to pen it).

Yes, I know some people will tell me that we can’t just let authorities take over that word since certain language groups have been using it even before the Malaysia was birth, etc… I have this explained in another section.

All I can say is that the solution to this issue is not as simple as stating who used the word first. I can assure you that fighting it out using the legal process will always leave some party unsettled. Using religious and historical references is pointless because both sides do not accept each others’ point of view.

Neither am I saying that we should just accept whatever happens.

What I can say for sure is that, trying to claim or defend this word, is a distraction to the work of reaching out and showing the love of Christ.

What I know that every Christian can do is to maintain the Christ-like testimony that Jesus showed of while eating and living amongst the Gentiles of His time and let the love of Christ do its work and win.

What the people of Malaysia are is very much like the time of Jesus, multi-cultural. He can do what Christ did, eat with them, talk with them, love them.

6) Finally, stop posting stuff about it

And hoping to have interesting discussions and comments passed from “friends”. The moment you put something online, you are inviting the whole world to comment and say their peace, whether they be Christians, Muslims, observers, people for peace, people who slander, saboteurs, agent provocateurs, etc… Having discussions with a world-wide audience just isn’t edifying for the Christian community nor for the relationships we have with others. It’s called attention-seeking, not peace-making.

Tags: allah, christianity, islam
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Devotion about rope fraying

October 9, 2013

This devotion was shared with the Royal Rangers Discovery kids 2 weeks ago.

[ image of rope ]
Life is like rope.

[ image of fray ]
[ image of whip and splice ]
When in our own hands, the rope frays and when we don’t do anything about the fray, it frays to the point it cannot be used at all.

(Insert verse that says we cannot be used if not cleansed)

(Use a three core rope to demonstrate fraying)

(Can also reference the verse about 3-core rope not easily broken)

Jesus offers us solution. He “whips” us to prevent fraying but He also “braids” or “splices” us to fix our frays.

(can be demonstrated while explaining to make devotion more interesting, use the rope from 2,3,4)

In real life, Jesus provides a solution for our maladies. His Word not only helps us to get right (correcting), but to stay right (training).

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16 & 17 NIV)

Tags: devotion, life, Royal Rangers
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Hunger and thirst for righteousness / seen and unseen / the kingdom of heaven

October 9, 2013

Jesus came to preach about the kingdom of heaven.
Heaven is unseen and unreachable to the living human, whether Christian or not.
It’s interesting that Jesus makes numerals parallels of the earth-heaven relationship.

binding and loosing
the beatitudes
seen and unseen
fallen/sickness and complete/wholeness

The other day my 2 yr old son who is just learning to speak short sentences expressed his hunger in a very impulsive way and something suddenly dawned.
Hunger and thirst are also unseen.
I would not know my child is hungry, unless they express it in some way, speaking, crying, looking weak.
These are ways of expressing hunger, but the hunger itself cannot be seen. Only expressed, or felt.
It’s the same with God’s unseen realm, heaven.
That’s why Jesus had to be the Word, the mouthpiece to express to us what heaven is like.
Not only is the expression from Jesus but he performed various acts so that the effects of heaven can be FELT. Just like how my child throws tantrums when hungry, then I feel the effects and know he his hungry.
In the same way, Jesus performed healing, deliverance, humility, kindness and compassion so that we would feel the effects of heaven, and ultimately get a glimpse or have a sense of knowing what heaven is like.
I really find it interesting that Jesus used the terms hunger and thirst for righteousness knowing it would draw this parallel for us.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled”. (Matthew 5:6 NIV)

Tags: kingdom of God
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Rhema Day, 20 August 2013

August 20, 2013

I’ve always felt led to pray for a colleague who had being trying for a child. His wife went through an ectopic pregnancy and had since miscarried twice.

On the eve of Father’s Day this year, 2013, I was at an evening service and as it was the practice in my church, all the fathers would be prayed for. It was at that moment I remembered the need of my colleague and brought it before the Lord. Perhaps I had a sensitivity to his need because I was also expecting the arrival of my fourth child, my only daughter, who arrived two weeks later.

The next morning, I received a text message greeting from him. I replied with thanks and conveyed that I would pray for him in church so that we would be able to celebrate Father’s Day next year. His reply was “hope so”.

Ok, that was a bold claim but I told myself, someone had to express faith on his behalf. That night my wife and I also interceded for my colleague and it was my hope that through the fulfilling of his need that Christ would be real to him and he could experience grace. We left the matter in God’s hand, in quietness but confident trust. I told my wife that if God was to answer our prayers, my colleague had to get busy!

About 2 months later my colleague got the news that his wife had conceived. That very day the doctor also confirmed that the conception had occurred in the right place and that everything was normal.

He was really excited when he told me about the good news. He said he was praying and pleading with God in the hospital waiting room! I was happy to hear him say that. I told him I will now continue praying for his wife and for a healthy child. I reminded him about what I said 2 months ago and he says he hopes it will come true.

—

Well I do hope that God will come true too because it will be a great opportunity for him to trust God. This is one of many classic stories about our prayers of intercession to God involving a potential believer.

But I’ve often wondered, does my hope express my confidence in God or does it express my doubt? Some have opined that once we have prayed by the Word and in the Spirit it must come through. Otherwise we are shown to have doubt instead of faith. But is that request in the will or even the timing of God *. Then my request merely because something I hope for. I might have prayed using His Word whilst in the presence of the Spirit but, like in my colleagues example, it is merely my request, to God, on behalf of him. It has no scriptural basis or theological truth in it.

But my confidence is based on what I have experienced about God. I have often asked God for good things and He has answered them accordingly. I thought back and remembered that I felt led to pray for my colleague. It was not something selfish or an ulterior motive which I sought for. In my heart I always focused on meeting the need not as an end but as a means to show my colleague that God is real.

It has always been these principles that I base my prayers on knowing that it will come true. My quest for reconciling written Biblical truth and experiences with God continues and I have come to realise that experiences are neither true or false. We can make statements about them which can be true or false.

I have also always reminded myself about this fact, that none of us can tell the outcome of future time. Yes there is such a thing as prophecy. There is such a teaching as faith, to expect the outcome based on our confidence in God. But we are all human. Confession on this basis, I would opine is very dangerous because though it may be in the will of God generally (and my key word is generally) it does not mean it will occur as how we have expressed it.**

—

So back to my colleague. I continue to pray that God will keep his wife in good health and the baby to be strong and healthy and that He would grant them a safe delivery. I have a strong confidence in God that this is His will for their lives. I do not feel worried or uncertain about it. Let’s wait and see, next Father’s Day.

—

* (I have learnt that some requests, though they be in the will of God, have not been considered to be in the time of God. God has His reasons for meeting them on our time, and on other occasions on His time. Sometimes it takes a little waiting but sometimes it can be instantaneous that we ourselves are caught unaware. Yes when we pray, we must considered, “Is it in God’s will?”, but we must also ask, “Is it in God’s time?”)

** I have another bee in my bonnet about Confession that I would one day like to write about.

Tags: rhema, testimony
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My Royal Rangers patches: Malaysian

August 13, 2013

Well some people collect stamps, coins, so I collect patches; and there being a big enough Royal Rangers community around the world that keeps this activity going, I ventured to obtain a sizable collection to showcase of the ever-increasing variety of styles, shapes and sizes.

My collection of Malaysian patches in chronological order:

1988
3rd Selangor Pow Wow

1991
KL#1 Royal Rangers &
Missionettes Friendship Night

1992
1st Malaysia Camporama

1994
1st Kuala Lumpur Pow Wow

1995
5th Selangor Pow Wow

1996
2nd Malaysia Camporama

1997
6th Selangor Pow Wow

1998
2nd Kuala Lumpur Pow Wow

1999
1st Malaysia National Leaders Conference

1999
7th Selangor Pow Wow

1999
1st Malaysia Southern District Adventure Camp

2000
3rd Malaysia Camporama

2001
2nd Malaysia National Leaders Conference

2001
1st Malaysia Southern District Pow Wow

2002
3rd Malaysia National Leaders Conference

2002
2nd Malaysia Southern District Adventure Camp

2002
1st Malaysia Northern District Pow Wow

2003
4th Malaysia National Leaders Conference

2004
4th Malaysia Camporama

2006
5th Malaysia National Leaders Conference

2009
5th Malaysia Camporama

2010
6th Malaysia National Leaders Conference

2011
7th Malaysia National Leaders Conference

YEAR
PATCH NAME

Tags: patches, Royal Rangers
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Children & Water Baptism

June 20, 2013

* This post was a devotion I shared at my Royal Ranger outpost to encourage children to follow in water baptism. Feel free to use it in your own devotions.

Putting on your Christian uniform

A policeman, a fireman, a soldier, a doctor, a McDonalds worker!

I’m sure you all have seen them and can you tell me what they have in common?

Yes, all of these people have special clothes. They all wear uniforms on their jobs.

Now let’s take the policeman as an example. Does the policeman’s uniform make him a policeman?

No of course it doesn’t… The policeman wears a uniform because they are a policeman. A fireman wears a uniform because he is recognised as a fireman. Likewise, you are a Royal Ranger that’s why you wear your uniform.

It’s the same way with water baptism. Water baptism doesn’t make you a Christian, but you are baptised because you are a Christian. Baptism is like wearing your Christian uniform.

Prayer

You ought to wear your uniform so that people around you can recognise who you are, a Christian. In the Bible, Jesus also “wore” water baptism and it made His Father well pleased. If you are ready to be committed to God and be recognised as a Christian, you should tell your parents about water baptism and talk to your commander or pastor to help you. Let’s pray together.

Notes

Baptism is a public statement.
It doesn’t save you, but is shows you have been saved.
It usually signifies that you belong to a church, a community of committed Christians.

Tags: baptism, devotion, Royal Rangers
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Cohabitation

June 5, 2013

AN ALTERNATIVE

In a series of conversations with some Christians, it surprised me they weren’t utterly convinced that it isn’t God’s way to live in and not be married. I’m not sure if the issue was a lack of conviction or they were simply opting for that lifestyle.

So I felt led to present a Biblical response that would be easy to digest and not be judgmental at the same time.

At first, I thought popularism and secular culture has made cohabitation a natural progression from a relationship but the observation I made in reality was that it didn’t seem to them to be just a natural progression from a relationship but an alternative to marriage.

It’s interesting that when you type “cohabitation” in google search, the bulk of the auto responses appear as “cohabitation vs. marriage”. In the Biblical sense, the two don’t even come close!

THE PARODY…

I thought the best way to answer the idea of cohabitation is to lead the discussion in the way they were thinking of and presenting it.

If cohabitation was THE way God intended (or even one of the ways to go), this would have been how Hebrews 13:4 would have read: “Cohabitation should be honored by all, and the cohabitation bed kept pure, for God will judge the faithful and all the sexually moral.“

Or in Genesis: “For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, cohabiting and giving into cohabitation.“

Or Jeremiah 29:4-6: “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: ‘Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Cohabitate and have sons and daughters; find girlfriends (not wives) for your sons and give your daughters to cohabitate with other men, so that they too may have sons and daughters.’“

A parody of Romans 7:2 will read: “For example, by law a cohabiting woman is bound to her boyfriend as long as he is alive, but if her boyfriend dies, she is released from the law that binds her to him.“

And 1 Corinthians 7:10: “To the cohabiting I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A female partner must not separate from her male partner!“

We laugh at these parodies because it’s so obvious that the use of the word in the Bible context is so out-of-place. Cohabitation is often self-centred (on the couple) and has no room for offspring. Cohabitation has no honour. It certainly has no life commitment! You take God out of the marriage equation, you have cohabitation.

THE PERFECT EXAMPLE

Marriage was the example chosen to illustrate the wondrous relationship between us and God. Marriage was also a SACRED institution created by God, keyword being sacred.

Since the perfect example of a marriage is found in the Bible where Jesus is to marry the church as His bride, it would lead me to think of cohabitation as a distorted view of marriage.

Imagine if Jesus said, “You know, divorce is so common today, let’s try to “live in” to see if we’re compatible before getting married…” NO ! Jesus has fully committed to us His church and as individuals even now, even in our sins, faults and weaknesses.

You see, if we really placed marriage in the position and context that it is meant to be, cohabitation cannot be an alternative. And the rightful place for marriage is in sacredness.

GOD’S DESIGN

A cohabitation arrangement will not pronounce you man and wife… Till death to us part… In good times or bad… Be fruitful and multiply… And really it boils down to God being in the relationship, because in a cohabitation ceremony we will certainly not hear the words, “what God has put together let no man put asunder!” It was never God’s design for a man and woman to be loosely committed to one another.

To those contemplating or even in cohabitation:
Please honestly ask yourselves “Why am I really cohabitating”? Am I doing it as an alternative to marriage? Am I just trying to justify and compromise my own moral dilemma? Am I fooling myself and my partner? We have all seen when being dishonest and fooling ourselves will lead to. Either one party will get hurt or we end up in depression and loss. I pray and hope you can carry through your situation and find the revelation without judgment and hurt.

> miaowkat <

Tags: cohabitation, marriage
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